Michael J.Merar
Partner
Real Estate
mmerar@seyfarth.com
Michael faces the complexities of commercial real estate with a business-minded approach, navigating his clients through the details of each deal—not only to identify and resolve legal issues, but also to address potential impacts on his clients' business objectives and operational needs.
More About Michael
Michael has experience handling all aspects of real estate transactions for retail, data center, office, industrial and mixed use projects, including the acquisition, disposition, finance, leasing, management and operation of all classes of commercial assets. His practice has a focus on retail and data center-driven acquisitions, developments, redevelopments, leasing and dispositions. Michael has represented several REITs, Fortune 100 technology companies, luxury retailers and fashion houses, restaurateurs, developers and real estate entrepreneurs across the US.
Michael has negotiated a wide variety of complex transactions, including flagship retail leases, data center development and sale-leasebacks, anchor store subleases, headquarter leases, ground leases, build-to-suit projects, and portfolio acquisitions. Michael is always mindful of the risks and challenges which tend to surface in each transaction he encounters and can readily produce creative, practical solutions that are required to get deals over the finish line.
Michael is proud of the impact he has had across the landscape of the country in connection with his clients' numerous projects and developments. He enjoys working alongside Seyfarth attorneys who are equally enthusiastic about their craft as he is about his own.
Michael has negotiated a wide variety of complex transactions, including flagship retail leases, data center development and sale-leasebacks, anchor store subleases, headquarter leases, ground leases, build-to-suit projects, and portfolio acquisitions. Michael is always mindful of the risks and challenges which tend to surface in each transaction he encounters and can readily produce creative, practical solutions that are required to get deals over the finish line.
Michael is proud of the impact he has had across the landscape of the country in connection with his clients' numerous projects and developments. He enjoys working alongside Seyfarth attorneys who are equally enthusiastic about their craft as he is about his own.
- JD, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
- BS, University of Illinois
Cum laude
James Scholar
- Illinois
- US District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Related Services
Related Key Industries
Related News & Insights
-
Firm News
08/15/2024
220 Seyfarth Attorneys Chosen as Leaders in Their Fields by Best Lawyers in America 2025
-
Speaking Engagement
Oct 27, 2023
Mike Merar and Jared Otte to Speak at the ICSC+U.S. LAW Conference
-
Recognition
Aug 18, 2022
Seyfarth Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America 2023
-
Recognition
Aug 19, 2021
Seyfarth Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America 2022
- Recognized as a "Ones to Watch" lawyer by Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) for Real Estate Law (2021-2024)
- Named an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star (Thomson Reuters) (2017-2023)
- International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
- The Chicago Bar Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Co-Speaker, "Navigating the Alphabet Soup of Shopping Center Agreements: Best Practices in Drafting and Negotiating CC&Rs, REAs, and OEAs," ICSC+U.S. LAW Conference, Phoenix, AZ (October 27, 2023)
- Co-Presenter, "Data Center Development: Specialized Security, Communications, Cooling, and Power Needs; Service Agreements," Strafford Webinar (July 22, 2021)
- Speaker, The Property Line Podcast – A Look Behind the Curtain at T5 Data Centers (May 17, 2021)
-
Speaker, The Property Line Podcast – What Makes Data Center Deals Different? (Part Two) (April 19, 2021)
- Speaker, The Property Line Podcast – What Makes Data Center Deals Different? (March 29, 2021)
- Speaker, The Property Line Podcast – State of the Data Center Market & the Impacts of COVID-19 (March 22, 2021)
Michael faces the complexities of commercial real estate with a business-minded approach, navigating his clients through the details of each deal—not only to identify and resolve legal issues, but also to address potential impacts on his clients' business objectives and operational needs.
More About Michael
Michael has experience handling all aspects of real estate transactions for retail, data center, office, industrial and mixed use projects, including the acquisition, disposition, finance, leasing, management and operation of all classes of commercial assets. His practice has a focus on retail and data center-driven acquisitions, developments, redevelopments, leasing and dispositions. Michael has represented several REITs, Fortune 100 technology companies, luxury retailers and fashion houses, restaurateurs, developers and real estate entrepreneurs across the US.
Michael has negotiated a wide variety of complex transactions, including flagship retail leases, data center development and sale-leasebacks, anchor store subleases, headquarter leases, ground leases, build-to-suit projects, and portfolio acquisitions. Michael is always mindful of the risks and challenges which tend to surface in each transaction he encounters and can readily produce creative, practical solutions that are required to get deals over the finish line.
Michael is proud of the impact he has had across the landscape of the country in connection with his clients' numerous projects and developments. He enjoys working alongside Seyfarth attorneys who are equally enthusiastic about their craft as he is about his own.
Michael has negotiated a wide variety of complex transactions, including flagship retail leases, data center development and sale-leasebacks, anchor store subleases, headquarter leases, ground leases, build-to-suit projects, and portfolio acquisitions. Michael is always mindful of the risks and challenges which tend to surface in each transaction he encounters and can readily produce creative, practical solutions that are required to get deals over the finish line.
Michael is proud of the impact he has had across the landscape of the country in connection with his clients' numerous projects and developments. He enjoys working alongside Seyfarth attorneys who are equally enthusiastic about their craft as he is about his own.
- JD, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
- BS, University of Illinois
Cum laude
James Scholar
- Illinois
- US District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Related Services
Related Key Industries
Related News & Insights
-
Firm News
08/15/2024
220 Seyfarth Attorneys Chosen as Leaders in Their Fields by Best Lawyers in America 2025
-
Speaking Engagement
Oct 27, 2023
Mike Merar and Jared Otte to Speak at the ICSC+U.S. LAW Conference
-
Recognition
Aug 18, 2022
Seyfarth Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America 2023
-
Recognition
Aug 19, 2021
Seyfarth Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America 2022
- Recognized as a "Ones to Watch" lawyer by Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) for Real Estate Law (2021-2024)
- Named an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star (Thomson Reuters) (2017-2023)
- International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
- The Chicago Bar Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Co-Speaker, "Navigating the Alphabet Soup of Shopping Center Agreements: Best Practices in Drafting and Negotiating CC&Rs, REAs, and OEAs," ICSC+U.S. LAW Conference, Phoenix, AZ (October 27, 2023)
- Co-Presenter, "Data Center Development: Specialized Security, Communications, Cooling, and Power Needs; Service Agreements," Strafford Webinar (July 22, 2021)
- Speaker, The Property Line Podcast – A Look Behind the Curtain at T5 Data Centers (May 17, 2021)
-
Speaker, The Property Line Podcast – What Makes Data Center Deals Different? (Part Two) (April 19, 2021)
- Speaker, The Property Line Podcast – What Makes Data Center Deals Different? (March 29, 2021)
- Speaker, The Property Line Podcast – State of the Data Center Market & the Impacts of COVID-19 (March 22, 2021)